Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-05-10
PRIM
ne MOST Charming Varieties md
cultivate Them-Lo-d
beaconsheld's Favorite Flower

40 people OF every nation the prim.
roses nave a word to say Of the lapp,
threshold that opens from winter r.
spring. Every language Of the north.
ern zone recognizes them as the "6rst.
comers"-the flowers nearest after the
snow. The English long ago named
them primrose, the French prtnerere.
the Spanish. primula, which give.
name to their natural order, orinpnlacee.
the Italians and Portuguese, primaye,u:
the Germans. fr'uhtings-blrme or die
Schtusze- btume; the Dutch. sle,tei.
o'ume and the Russian, Juckmtza.
In Switzerland they hardly wait TO,
the snow to melt; if its sheet il thir
enough. to transmit the sunlight the,
break through, Someone relates lbat
traveller passing over the Faulhorn
saw "a field of snow where horse had
passed; and the snow disappearing in
MS tracks the little circles were brim.
ful of flowers
Linn@us, not for Their botanical
value, but for their brave little hearts.
called them 1.-THE precious" English
l'people, who from childhood know the
| sunny blossoms in open woods and
hedgerows, love them dearly; and an
English primrose, sent in a glass case
to Australia, awakened such enthus.
iasm among the homesick miners that
its exhibition had to be protected bv 4
| guard. Lord Beaconsfield loved the
pale primrose, called by the country
folk the "firstling," the 'posic'' and
the "key of May and on the 18th Of
April it is worn in his memory.
\ The affection inspired by the sunny
little wildling is not lessened by its
cultivat ON. IL rewards care with the
most lavish profusion of blossoms. A
single plant produces in season from
five hundred to thousand blossoms.
and goes far to satisfy the expression
used of primroses BY an experienced
florist: They will flower thcmselve:
to death ii you will let them
The primroses that at this time of the
year are most attractive to us. and that
we include gladly among our house
plants to bloom through March TIL
Easter. are the Chinese primroses
(PytD1uia Si,lensis). We find them in
charming variety from the primitive
simplicity of the single white and the
single red, the original SnenSis,
brought from China in 1820-to the re.
fined surpr SEES of the most intricately
cultivated ollspring-the double, anl
double-fringed red, white, and purple;
the double-fringed carmine and VIII tie,
fecked with pale lilac; the red,
white, and purple, and white fern
leaved; the Striata, white striped W ii
red; the KermeS ma SPlendeHS, bright
carmine with yellow eye, and ne"
and very beautiful variety, the Pnncta
tn eleqa,ittSsinla. rich crimson deeply
frinped and bordered with snow-wht'
flakes.
The soil for primroses is. general.
speaking, SANDY loan and peat.
One of our best florists recommends -
good mixture of vegetable mold ant
sand The greatest success, however
has attended mixture of ore-hal
: sandy loan and one-haf leat-mold or de
: cayod refuse hops. The roots of theprim
: rose are threadlke and very fine, an'
, REQUIRE the mechanical condition of tn
soil to be yielding and easily penetrat
+ ed. The plant should be sufficient.
wstered to keep the earth about it iron
ever being so dry that it may be grate'
l by the hand. I've temperature a
: Towering time should be 65 degrees t
70 by day, and 80 degrees by 90 b
t night,
q Fsually, in amateur cultivation, W
V are content to buy our plants in bud
f and keep them in good condition unit
c the towering is over: then, indeed
: unless cuttings have been made at tn
! nroper time. the plants are eXhauste
and they might rs well die. But some
il tines among our primroses yar'et
V falls to us that we wish to perpetuate
, or we save the seeds OF particular
t lovely flower We are interested the
n to know something Of the modes
t propagation, which in ths case ar
e either by seeds, cuttings or div slonS'
) The seeds must be sown in Apr
o MAY. or early in June. or not uhtll oe
tamber or October, IL tnc heat OF II
g intervening months prevents vlgoro'
:. termination. Sow them in shallow see
j. pans in the soil prepared with relu
c hops, and keep them well molS'eheu
o a temperature of about oo degrees
the shade. From the seed-pans /
A move the plants to little pots ana Shi
NJ them to larger-sized pots three or 10 Q,
a times II they are ready to flower.
g nronarate by d vision you have bat
" saparate the roots where the plant ma
1t urally parts, as the eye easily de'err
5. ines. n14
:, Rut fine most expeditions and heat
: full mode of propagation is by cnlt.n
= f-om the side shoots. Ii these cut'in
- .ro nlonted in March. and kept at
! temnerature of soil OF 60 degrees al
10 an atmospheric temperature ayeragl'
e 20 DEGREES. and well watered' so 'h
do not once wilt they will be roote"
nc four weeks, and by fall have produo
,,1,u,s LARGE enough to yield from 4